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“Only about 20 per cent of how long a person lives is determined by genes,” says Buettner. “The other 80 per cent is determined by lifestyle and environment. Those factors add around eight years of additional life expectancy.”
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We think of humour as a distinctly human emotion, but some animals may also use it to strengthen their bonds.
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Many scientists believe that humour is far more widespread amongst the animal kingdom
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In a 2005 study, animal behaviourist Patricia Simonet played the sound to dogs at a rescue shelter. She found that listening to dog "laughter" made the shelter dogs less stressed out.
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"My supervisor [neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp] would always say play is the fertiliser for the brain, and it's true. Their brains are connecting. They're making new synapses and new neural connections. And so I think that tells us that when we're in those playful humorous moods, we're actually performing at our best and we are being our best selves," says Burgdorf.
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"I've seen this in dogs, foxes, wild coyotes and wild wolves," says Bekoff.
In fact, Bekoff says that during his career he has heard stories about many species who act like stand-up comedians and jokesters, including horses, Asian black bears and the scarlet macaw.
There's even evidence that rats enjoy a good laugh
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